Spuds & Aprons: Dining on top Mount Faber

Media Invite

(Daddy munches)

The thing about looking for a place to dine for one's 11th Wedding Anniversary - with three kids in tow at that - is not a question of great food, but rather finding a place which can accommodate all five of us and yet still manage to keep the monkies well entertained.

How well entertained? How about the stunning view of the sunset with running cable cars dotting the Sentosa background as we tuck in? Yes, that exact view did take away all of our breaths momentarily as we set foot into Spuds & Aprons - the new kid on the block at the top of Mount Faber.

Previously Sapphire and Black Opal, the premise was given a makeover and transformed into Spuds & Aprons, a fun and playful F&B joint at the top of the hill at Mount Faber that serves yummy east-meets-west dishes. And thanks to them, the wifey and I had the opportunity to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary there 2 weekends ago... complete with three very bright lamp posts.

Patrons can opt to chill out at the air-conditioned Dining Room or relax at the alfresco Garden, with a breathtaking view of the city guaranteed no matter which they choose.

Perhaps it was precisely the view, but these three lamp posts were rather excited to be dining high above sea level - which I cannot seem to recall when was the last time I actually dined on Mount Faber! And before I could say 'Sugar Rush!', all three of them had placed their orders for drinks; with Ash going for Brain Freeze Mocktail (a concoction of peach syrup, pineapple juice, lemon juice, $8), Ayd chose the Cheeky Chocolate milkshake ($8) while Ale went for the Sexy Strawberry milkshake ($8).

All tasted fabulous but all that paled in comparison when the monkies' favourite part of the dinner arrived -  FOOD!

First appetizer up was the Wicked Fries & Gravy ($8), which consisted of steakhouse cut spuds with 6 types of Cheeses (!!!) & Brown Gravy. Wah, it was so wickedly delicious that the three monkies attacked the dish without any reservations.

Luckily though, the next appetizer was something that only the wifey and I could eat... because it is one heck of a spicy dish! Muahahaha... If the Wicked Fries & Gravy tasted heavenly to the children, then the Chili Crab in a Tux ($12) was paradise found in my mouth.

That's chilli crab stuffed in potato skins and frankly, who would have thought that these 2 ingredients could go so well together? The chilli crab filling tasted like it came out from a tze char stall, full of crab meat but yet minus the hassle of peeling of crab shells! Personally, this is a die-die must try dish.

Our third appetizer for the evening was Intoxicated Clams ($12), which was essentially fresh clams cooked in beer. It was nicely done, with the tinge of alcohol not overbearing.

Then it was time for the Mains to strut their stuff and boy, did they do so in an extremely tantalising fashion!

Ayd zoomed in on the Crispy Pork Belly ($26) upon hearing that it was one of Spuds & Aprons' specialty dish, and he was not disappointed.

The pork belly was first boiled before being pan-fried until the meat became 'fork tender' and its skin crunch-crispy. And it was soooo good. In fact, it was that good that Ayd fiercely guarded it and refused to look up for my mandatory photo-taking routine!

Yet another must-try specialty of the restaurant is the Tobiko Crusted Cod Fillet ($28), an Atlantic cod fillet that is oven roasted and topped with Tobiko and served with green tea soba and aged ponzu sauce.

Ash is more of a rice than noodles person, so I guess it was pretty self explanatory when he walloped the all of the noodles. I think the delectable sauce had a hand in it, though I really loved the melt-in-your-mouth fresh cod fillet. Even the wifey who is not usually a big fan of fish loved the cod!

There is also a Kids Menu for the younger ones too, comprising of Mini Salmon Steak ($8), Spaghetti & Meat Ball ($7), Roast Chicken and Pineapple Pizza ($7) and Derrick’s Spud Croquette ($8). Ale chose the Spaghetti & Meat Ball which came in a generous portion. Perhaps we were overly pampered by the previous 2 dishes, so this one tasted much like the usual spaghetti at most eateries.

The wifey had the Braised Five Spiced Oxtail ($22), which was wagyu oxtail rubbed with five spice and then braised for three hours. And all those hours clearly showed in the taste of the beef - it was tender, succulent and flavourful!

I am a huge fan of mutton so it was a no-brainer that I gunned for the Grilled Char Siew Lamb Rack ($38). Another chef's specialty, this delightful Murray Bridge Lamb Rack was marinated in char siew seasoning, flamed grilled to precision and served with sesame Hoisin sauce.

Can I just say - to put it simply - that I super loved this dish! The meat was extremely well-marinated, and so tender and moist. Even the wifey who loathes the smell of mutton (yes, can you tell by now that she is the difficult to please one?) took more than just a few mouthfuls of the dish.

By now, all our tummies were bursting at the seams and there was no way that we could go on unless... it is dessert time. Because there is always room for dessert, no? And if one needs evidence that happiness could be dispensed in jars, this would be it.

Aptly named Jar of Happiness ($10),  the jar contains shortbread biscuits, mixed berries, Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Ice Cream, all topped with warm berry compote. How can one not be happy eating this?

Well, it turned out that there was something else happier in store for us - a surprise Chocolate Fudge Cake from the kind folks at Spuds & Aprons!

Thanks Spuds & Aprons for the wonderful gesture. The food was marvelous, the ambience was great and best of all, the monkies thoroughly enjoyed dining on top of Mount Faber too. And I suspect that the gorgeous view had something to do with it.

Photo taken by Ash

Oh, and here is a final tip - be there just before sunset to enjoy the gorgeous view and here is an added bonus if you are dining there on a Saturday: you can also catch the 8pm fireworks display at Universal Studios Singapore from the comfort of your seat too!


Useful Information

Spuds & Aprons
109 Mount Faber Road, Level 2, Singapore 099203
Operating Hours: Sun - Wed 11am - 11pm | Thurs 11am - 12:30am | Fri, Sat & Eve of PH 11am - 2am
Reservations: Call 6377 9688 or email customerservice@mountfaber.com.sg
Website HERE.

Promotions

FREE VALET PARKING WITH MINIMUM SPEND OF $30
- Applicable for all diners (Spuds & Aprons and Moonstone)
- Excludes Eve of Public holidays & public holidays

FREE DESSERT WITH EVERY $40 SPENT FOR CABLE CAR TICKET HOLDERS
(1 MARCH - 4TH MAY 2014)
- Present cable car ticket to enjoy this promotion